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Aim: The aim of this study was to analyse gender differences in wellbeing, as related to work status, among working-age people with severe impairments. Methods: This study is based on register and survey data for a sample of 7298 persons, drawn from the entire Swedish population of 15,515 working-age people 16–64 years old who, at the end of 2010, received Sweden’s unique personal assistance allowance, an allowance paid from the Swedish Social Insurance Agency (SSIA) to persons with severe impairments, enabling them to pay for assistants to support them in the functions of daily life. Logistic regression models were used to estimate the strength of relations between six measures of wellbeing, work status (not working, irregular work and regular work) and gender, together with key confounders. Results: Of the persons surveyed, 21% responded that they had regular work. Gender differences were found for all confounders, except for age. They were mostly in favour of men, which could reflect the general pattern in the labour market at large. Our results indicated there are substantial differences between non-working, irregularly working and working persons for several wellbeing aspects. Conclusions: This study analyses the contributions to wellbeing of work participation among working-age people with severe impairments, with a focus on gender differences. The analysis shows that work is an important determinant of the six measures of wellbeing examined, where the relationship between work participation and wellbeing is especially strong for peoples’ perceived standard of living. This major finding holds for both genders; however, the data show gender imbalance, in that compared with women, there was a larger percentage of men with severe impairments who have regular work. Future research should focus on finer distinctions between the types of work and the value added of personal assistants in the work context. Measures of general health not available for this study are needed to filter out a clearer picture of the interaction of work and well-being. Despite drawbacks, this study is nevertheless path-breaking in its focus on the value of work participation for the well-being of persons with severe impairments. For this reason, it provides a valuable extension of our knowledge and a clear point of departure for future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Studies show a negative association between an absence from work due to disease of injury (sickness absence (SA)) and subsequent earnings; however, little is known about the association between SA and an individuals’ subsequent overall economic welfare. Our primary objective was to evaluate individuals’ disposable income (DI) following a spell of SA. Our secondary objective was to examine if the potential association between SA and DI differs, depending on the diagnosis given to that sickness or the duration of the SA spell. Methods: We used a cohort based on a linked individual register database that includes all individuals living in Sweden from 2001 to 2005, aged 30–54. DI was measured 2–6 years after a spell of SA and compared with a propensity score-matched reference group (individuals without SA in 2005). Each year of follow-up during 2007–2011 was estimated by linear regression for three different forms of exposure: SA (yes/no), diagnosis specific (cancer, circulatory, injuries, musculoskeletal or mental illnesses), and by duration of the SA spell (15–29, 30–89, 90–179 or > 179 days). Results: Individuals with SA during 2005 had 4% lower disposable income in subsequent years than the reference group. Our results were similar across diagnoses, except for mental diagnoses, where disposable income was 7–10% lower than the reference group; and for cancer, where we found only a marginal difference among those with SA and the reference group. Furthermore, DI was negatively associated with the SA spell duration. Conclusions: SA was associated with lower subsequent DI, 2–6 years after a SA spell, especially after a mental illness diagnosis and if the SA was for longer spells. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]